Crutchfield Rewards

Deep discounts on car installation gear

With most stereo and speaker purchases, we offer installation guides, dash kits, wiring harnesses, and speaker accessories at deep discounts. Also, you can just buy our installation guides for $10. (If you buy a new stereo or speakers from us within 60 days, we'll apply the $10 to your order.)

Free Shipping on all orders $35 and up

We offer standard delivery in 3 business days or less.

Most orders received by 5PM ET (M-F) ship the same day.

Please see our shipping map below for estimated times.

Estimated standard delivery time to the U.S. and Puerto Rico

Delivery time estimates do not apply to large or heavy items that require special
shipping (including most TVs), items shipped directly from the manufacturer, or
out-of-stock items. Some items that ship from the manufacturer can only be delivered
to addresses within the 48 contiguous states.

Delivery time for standard shipping to any of the 50 U.S. states or Puerto Rico is 1-3 business days. Saturday, Sunday and national holidays are not considered business days for delivery purposes.

Efficient bass power always set correctlyJBL's compact GTO-501EZ amplifier will drive your subs with up to 500 watts RMS, bringing exciting, visceral impact to the music in your car. This mono amp looks very cool with its "old-school" styling, and JBL includes a few innovations that really separate this amp from the others.

Efficient bass power always set correctly
JBL's compact GTO-501EZ amplifier will drive your subs with up to 500 watts RMS, bringing exciting, visceral impact to the music in your car. This mono amp looks very cool with its "old-school" styling, and JBL includes a few innovations that really separate this amp from the others.

Simple Setup System for setting amp gain
One of the biggest problems with installing an amplifier is setting the gain properly. JBL has come up with a fool-proof method for getting it right, ensuring full-power performance and distortion-free play. Using test tones on the included setup CD, you adjust the gain knob until the yellow light or the red light goes off, and the green "Gain OK" light comes on  it's that simple. You'll never have to worry again about your amp "clipping" the signal, and possibly damaging your speakers or subs.

Plays well with factory radios
This GTO amp comes with screw-on bare wire-to-RCA adapters that let you hook up the amp, using your car's factory speaker wiring to supply the input signal. In some vehicles, the factory radio shuts down when you try to tap into the speaker wires, displaying a "no speakers are present" message. This amp features a special circuit that fools those factory radios by simulating a speaker load. The onboard crossovers and bass boost let you fine tune the system to perfection, and the large recessed knobs mean you don't need a tiny screwdriver to make your adjustments.

Confused about impedance? Check out our article on matching subs and amps.

JBL GTO-501EZ Reviews

Not enough power

This amp did not have nearly as much power as I had expected. Tried using it to run one 12in sub, but as soon as the bass started to get loud enough to be audible, the amp would shut itself off because is was overloaded. My previous amp with the same advertised power output never did this, wish i could've return this amp, but by the time i installed it, it was passed the 30 day window.

JBL GTO-501EZ

Bought this amp with a JBL GTO804 8" bub to add a little bass to my F150. I'm only getting 350 of the 500 watts since it's a 4 ohm sub, but the output is still more than enough for the bass I was looking for (even with bass boost all the way down). The speaker wire/RCA adapters that come with it make it super easy to hook to your factory radio, and are way less of a hassle than a line-out converter. Also, the setup cd it comes with makes tuning virtually idiot-proof. This amp and the GTO sub are the first JBL products I've ever owned, and they definitely lived up to the hype.
Oh and FYI.. someone mentioned below that the "auto-on" feature does not work well, and requires a high volume to detect a signal. This may be the case if you're using pre-amp inputs, but if you use the Hi1 or Hi2 inputs (adapters), this is NOT an issue. It has fired right up every time for me, even when my volume is all the way down! I ran a remote wire just in case, but I never even stripped the ends off of it.

What a bargain.

Haven't installed yet, but will have a full review once installed. Bought it because of the reviews it received and the price was right for what I needed. For now, I'll give five stars because Crutchfield has always sold me items I have not been disappointed with.

Pros:Price.

Cons:Let you know once installed.

1 of 7 found this helpful

perfect

installed in my brand new 2013 kia sportsge sx,liked all the features and integration of factory uvo system and did not want to gut the interior to run wires everywhere.Replaced factory 8" sub with a jbl gto series 8" and use this amp to drive it.the amp is top notch,hook-up and adjustment is brilliant. Also replaced all door speakers with jbl power series speakers, which was a perfect macth with the factory amp rated at 2 ohm.

Pros:auto turn-on feature, ease of hook-up and adjustment.

Cons:none

0 of 0 found this helpful

Easy and powerful

This was the easiest amp to install. Everything is clearly labeled. The RCA adapter makes doing line level input extremely easy and clean. The sound output this produces with my 12" JL audio amp is outstanding. Highly recommended for anyway looking for a basic monoblock to drive 1 or 2 subs. The 501 is also small enough to fit virtually anywhere in the car; mine is under my front passenger seat and you won't even know it's there.

Pros:Easy to install; powerful; line level input adapter is fantastic

Cons:None

0 of 1 found this helpful

Pretty darn good

Between, the low price, amp kit and the free Polk 10" sub deal, I would say this is a pretty darn good bargain! I'm not looking to "boom" down the street, just have clean music. This amp more than met my demands. ONLY one thing....it has on "auto on" feature.....DONT USE IT. Not knowing, I tried not using a remote wire, didn't work. After I assembled everything back in my truck, I realized it took the amp A LOT of volume to "turn on", so I just ran a remote wire. One other thing, Crutchfield claims that JBL does not have a bass knob for this amp....THEY DO!

Pros:Price
amp kit
Compact
Sound

Cons:Auto on shouldn't even be a feature on the amp

0 of 0 found this helpful

Crazy power.

Skidpalace from Boston MA on 1/7/2013

PIcked this amp up with the GTO 1204BR 12" sub box. I can tell you that this little Class D monoblock amp can drive this 2 ohm sub like no tomorrow. It's like a shiatsu massage in the driver's seat. Love the built in gain meters. Pop in the included test tone CD, crank up the volume on your head unit, then ratchet up the gain on the amp till the green light stays steady. You're done.

Mean amp!

Me from Albuquerque, NM on 6/21/2012

This amplifier is the real deal. I was never a fan of JBL until i learned it was bought out by Harmon. So I figured I would give it a shot. This little beast is powering 2 kicker Comp 10" subs that are a couple years old. Needless to say I will probably have to buy a couple of new subs because this amp has pushed them to the limit, and I barely have the amplifier turned up. I've had to reconfigure my user setting on my Kenwood head unit by turning the bass way down and resetting the sub level to 1. If you want power, this is your amp. I think i will purchase a second one in the very near future just to make a lot of noise. Happy listening...

Pros:small size that uses less space, equaling big sound.

Cons:1 channel for speakers makes it a little tough to bridge. (who cares, the sound is AWSOME!)

Product Research

Features

Setup Disc: The included setup CD is used to optimize the
input gain. A test tone is output from the disc and the Gain LEDs on the amp
(green, yellow, red) guide you through adjusting the gain controls.

Note: The instructions in the first
version of the manual indicate the radio should be at full
volume when playing the setup disc; this is wrong
and JBL is in the process of correcting the manual. The volume
should actually be as high as possible without distorting the
signal; this will be different for every radio, but approximately
3/4 volume is typical.

Auto Turn-on: The GTO-501EZ has a signal sensing automatic
turn-on circuit; it will turn on whenever an audio signal is present at the RCA
inputs. The amplifier will automatically turn off approximately five minutes
after the input signal ceases. If you prefer to use the radio's remote lead,
the auto turn-on feature can be turned off.

Crossovers: Because this is a subwoofer amplifier, the
low-pass crossover cannot be bypassed. The crossover point is continuously
variable from 40 Hz to 280 Hz and the crossover's slope is 12 dB/octave.

Audio Input: If your radio has no line-level outputs, use
the included adapters to convert the speaker wires to RCA and plug them into
the amplifier's inputs. The input level switch has a Hi2 position, used
to present a speaker load to factory radios equipped with a circuit that turns
the radio off when an amp is connected.

Speaker terminals: one pair of set
screw terminals; accepts up to 8 gauge bare wire

Fuses: two ports for 25-amp ATO fuses
(fuses are factory installed)

Right Side:

Audio Input: left and right female RCA
jacks; compatible with a speaker level signal using the
included adapters

Remote: RJ-25 jack (the wired remote
is not yet available as of 2/16/12)

Our Product Research Team

At Crutchfield, you'll get detailed, accurate information that's hard to find elsewhere. That's because we have our own in-house Product Research team. They verify what’s in the box, check the owner's manual, and record dimensions, features and specs. We stay on top of new products and technologies to help people make informed choices.